Recollections Of Chad

Published: March - 2000

With Chad firmly open again, thanks to PH Alain Lefol, we can't resist the temptation to pass along some flashback recollections of this country sent to us last month by Hunting Report subscriber Otis Chandler. He was the last hunter into the northern part of Chad back in 1968, when a long period of darkness and turmoil began to settle over the country. His note should make us all a bit thankful for the period of peace we live in. It has resulted in almost the entire world being open to hunting.

Chandler writes: "I was the last hunter to hunt in northern Chad (1968), and I took all of the species that were available in that portion of the Sahara Desert and in the Ennedi Mountains, including a fine Barbary sheep. It was one of the most exciting hunts I have ever had in Africa, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Sahara Desert/Ennedi Mountains portion of the hunt.

"I hunted with an extremely fine French-born professional hunter by the name of Claude Vasselet. I hunted with him first in Central African Republic, and took a record book eland and other species before making the long trek up to the northern part of Chad. When we finished our hunt in the northern desert, we headed south and stopped overnight for rest and supplies in a small camel stop/oasis called Oum Chalouba. There was much excitement, and we didn't know what it was all about until Claude told us that a contingent of French journalists had been intercepted by Libyan terrorists. They cut the head off one doctor and the hands of a nurse and had them in a paper sack, which we inspected. This prompted swift action by the American Embassy, who sent a DC-3 north to evacuate us to Chad's capital in the south.

The next night we were in Paris, and I had the occasion to de-brief the French State Department on the terrorist activities. Almost immediately the French government dispatched forces to this region of Chad to engage the terrorists. It is a........(continued)